Estimated Monthly Savings $55
Most everybody needs a car to get around and also to commute to work. Cars are essential tools that we need, especially if we live in the suburbs or a rural community. However, people also want to enjoy themselves while they are spending so much time in the vehicle every day. For that reason, people often load up on features. However, you can still get a few important bonuses while skipping useless features. The list below identifies a few features that drivers should skip when purchasing a new car.
Satellite Radio – Terrestrial radio is free and you can get most everything you want on those stations.
OnStar Help Services – If you are carrying your cell phone in the car, you have access to the same services and do not need OnStar.
DVD Player – This technology is rapidly becoming out of date. Now, videos can be streamed directly from the web.
Automatic High Beams – If you need high beams, just flip them on!
Heated Seats – Some people enjoy the warm and cozy feeling of warming their tush. However, this expensive feature is not needed when the whole car can easily be warmed up using the normal system.
360-degree surround-view camera systems – These systems are useful for parking and giving additional viewing to the driver. However, the backup camera is much more important for parking. The 360-degree view is a bit excessive when you can simply turn your head.
Power Locks and Windows – Rolling up and down the windows or manually locking a car takes minimal effort and will save you a lot of money.
Imagine that you spend $3,000 on features that you don’t need. Additionally, you have a 5% interest rate on the loan for your car. Over 5 years you spend $450 on interest for these features for a total of $3,450. Dividing that number by 60 months yields $57.5 that can be saved every month. It does not make sense to get features that are basically useless when you can save these funds each month.
